Edited By Elena Danescu and Susana Muñoz

Le centenaire de la naissance de Pierre Werner (1913–2013) a offert une occasion privilégiée d’évoquer la personnalité et l’œuvre de cet homme d’État luxembourgeois qui a marqué de son empreinte le devenir contemporain du Grand-Duché et l’intégration européenne. Réunis lors d’un colloque international qui s’est déroulé les 27 et 28 novembre 2013 à Luxembourg, une trentaine de chercheurs et d’experts réputés d’horizons différents (historiens, économistes, juristes, politologues), ainsi que des grands acteurs de la pensée économique et monétaire ont analysé la vision européenne de Pierre Werner et ont mis en lumière, dans une perspective internationale, l’actualité de ses réflexions face aux défis du XXI
e
siècle. Sur le plan méthodologique, plusieurs contributions puisent leur originalité dans l’exploitation scientifique des archives familiales Werner. Par le message et les enseignements qu’il délivre, cet ouvrage a pour ambition de contribuer à approfondir l’étude interdisciplinaire de l’Union économique et monétaire sur le long terme et invite les lecteurs à découvrir davantage le projet d’intégration européenne à travers la vision et l’action de l’un de ses promoteurs, Pierre Werner.
The centenary of the birth of Pierre Werner (1913–2013) offered a timely opportunity to reflect on the personality and achievements of this politician from Luxembourg who left his mark on the future of his country and on the European integration process. On 27 and 28 November 2013, some 30 renowned experts and researchers including historians, economists, legal experts and political scientists, together with major players in economic and monetary affairs, assembled in Luxembourg for a conference during which they analysed Pierre Werner’s European vision and offered an international perspective on the relevance of his approach in light of the challenges facing us in the 21
st
century. Several of the papers provided new insights based on the authors’ exploration of the Werner family archives. The aim of these proceedings is to offer a series of observations and conclusions that encourage further interdisciplinary analysis of Economic and Monetary Union from a long-term perspective and invite readers to find out more about the European integration process through the vision and actions of one of its instigators, Pierre Werner.

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19 Mastering Small-State Diplomacy Pierre Werner in the History of European Monetary Union Kenneth DySoN1 Research Professor in the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University Fellow of the British Academy The history of European monetary union has two main characteristics. It highlights the extent to which the process was pre-eminently politically driven and managed.2 It was rooted in the historical lesson-drawing, in- tellectual convictions, and not least the emotional engagement of a set of post-war European politicians. They shared a common passion for remak- ing Europe on a basis that would offer sustainable peace and prosperity to their citizens. For them it was about history-making. European mon- etary union was an unashamedly elitist project but one that could draw on widespread permissive political consensus. In addition, the history of European monetary union has been primarily a narrative about large-state diplomacy, about the domestic settings of Britain, France, Germany and Italy, about their relations with each other, and about how the European Commission fitted into this context.3 The questions for those who work in the history of European monetary integration are where precisely Pierre Werner fits into this story and, not least, what lessons we can draw from his career. He remains undoubtedly an important representative figure in this historically significant post-war European elite. But as a representative of the smallest Member State in the European Economic Community (EEC), in what way could he be said to be significant in the process of European monetary union? This question touches...

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